Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our sports newsletter here.

Donald Hand Jr. knew his freshman season at Boston College had ended in his second game. Putting up a layup, Hand lost control of the ball and fell hard on the floor. Former BC forward/center and current Golden State Warrior Quinten Post helped Hand up, and, along with coaches, escorted him to the training room for tests. Surprisingly, Hand passed all the ACL jump tests.

“I did all the hop tests and I was like, ‘Oh shoot, I’m good,’” Hand said. “So I came back out and I was sitting on the bench. Coach (Anthony) Goins was like, ‘Nah, you’re not going back in. I know something’s not right.’”

Hand’s right knee became “crazy fat” the next day, and he couldn’t bend it. On Nov. 30, 2022, Boston College announced he’d miss the remainder of the year after undergoing surgery to repair a torn ACL.

While Hand’s freshman-year knee injury initially set him back, he’s amid a breakout 2024-25 campaign. As a full-time starter for the first time in his collegiate career, the guard is averaging a team-high 14.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. Hand will look to lead Boston College (9-6, 1-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) to its 10th win of the season when it hosts Syracuse (7-8, 1-3 ACC) Saturday.

“It was truly a blessing for me to go through that experience. To be the player I wanted to be, I had to go through that (injury),” Hand said.

Before breaking out at BC, Hand honed his skills training with his father, Donald Hand Sr. Growing up, Hand Sr. played AAU basketball with NBA greats Kobe Bryant, Vince Carter and Rip Hamilton before playing at Virginia. He competed overseas after graduating before becoming a coach, notably working with current NBA guard Cam Thomas.

When Hand turned 12, Hand Sr. built a warehouse 25 minutes away from their Virginia home after local gyms became hard to access. He called it “the lab.” The floor wasn’t a standard wooden floor. Instead, it was concrete. During workouts, the paint from the floor would get into Hand’s hair.

“I feel that’s when I really took the leap and I passed my pears,” Hand said of training in the lab.

Donald Hand Jr. and his stepbrother Damien Robinson train at “The lab,” a warehouse that Hand’s father, Donald Hand Sr., built. Hand regularly practiced on the lab’s concrete floor as a kid. Courtesy of Donald Hand Sr.

Developing in the lab propelled Hand to join Team Loaded Virginia, an AAU team. The program has produced NBA talents, including Caleb and Cody Martin, Bam Adebayo and Dennis Smith Jr. On his 17U squad, Hand started alongside Jayden Epps (Georgetown), Tyler Nickel (Vanderbilt), Alphonzo Billups III (Virginia Commonwealth) and former SU forward Maliq Brown (Duke).

“You’re dealing with families and kids who are the best in the area, and I tell them when they get to me, this is their first step of collegiate basketball,” Michael Blackwell, Team Loaded Virginia 17U head coach, said. “They are going to have to make some sacrifices because when they get to 17U, it’s the most talented team they have played with.”

Team Loaded finished with a 30-9 record in the 2021 3SSB Adidas Circuit, with Hand only taking seven to eight shots a game, Blackwell said. Still, he’d collect 16 to 20 points, a testament to how he was college-ready.

Outside of Team Loaded, Hand played for his stepfather, Dwight Robinson, at Landstown High School in Virginia Beach. He thrived in his senior year, averaging 25.0 points per game and was named to the All-Tidewater First-Team. On top of that, he earned a nomination for the 2022 McDonald’s All-American Game and was Virginia’s No. 6 player in the class of 2022, according to 247Sports.

At Landstown, Robinson – who’s been its head coach for 24 years – introduced basketball’s film aspect to Hand. As Hand started watching film with his stepfather, the game slowed down for him.

“He always coaches me the hardest,” Hand said of Robinson. “Sometimes, I’ll be like, ‘Man you’re going so hard on me,’ but it was for the best. He knew what potential I had. He taught me the game, especially from the film side.”

As they visited Landstown during his final high school live period, Boston College head coach Earl Grant and Goins extended an official visit invitation to Hand. They kept in touch with Hand’s family and eventually offered him a scholarship, his last of 12 offers.

Grant’s vision for Hand swayed him to Chestnut Hill over programs including Clemson and UConn. He told Hand he wouldn’t reach his peak in a year, two years or three years. But, at the finish line, Hand would be the player Grant knew he could be.

Hand’s injury two games into his Eagles career handed him instant adversity. As he collected his thoughts, Hand told himself he had two options: feel bad for himself or return to the gym. Hand chose the latter.

It started with form shooting and ball handling as if he were back in Virginia Beach with his father. After surgery, Hand began jogging. After a month, he was running and cutting. In the process, he bulked up from 199 to 213 pounds.

“I still had to use my knowledge, everything my stepdad taught me and everything my dad taught me,” Hand said about his injury recovery. “I had to push other guys and just develop my leadership side of things.”

Donald Hand Jr. puts up a 3-point attempt over former SU players Quadir Copeland and Maliq Brown in Syracuse’s 69-59 win over BC last season. The guard averaged 5.0 points and 1.9 rebounds last year. Maxine Brackbill | Senior Staff Photographer

As he battled his way back onto the court, Hand’s role in his redshirt freshman campaign varied. But one thing was constant: he never started a game. Hand only attempted double-digit shots once in an early 75-71 win against The Citadel and averaged 5.0 points and 1.9 rebounds per game.

“You watch the films from last year getting prepared for Miami or getting prepared for Georgia Tech and you realize he wasn’t really on the floor,” Grant said on the Jan. 6 ACC Coaches call. “He wasn’t in the mix last year.”

Yet, Hand continued to play without fear of another setback. He then broke out in the 2024 ACC Tournament.

In the first round against Miami, Hand entered midway through the first half and hit a sideline 3 over Miami’s Matthew Cleveland to extend the Eagles’ lead to 16. Then, in the second half, he received a cross-court pass from Mason Madsen and drove past former Miami guard Jakai Robinson, throwing down a two-handed stuff.

Against then-No. 14 Clemson, Hand drove coast-to-coast, similar to the play he tore his ACL on. This time, Hand scored a one-handed layup over the Tigers’ Ian Schieffelin. He recorded 10 points and four rebounds in the Eagles’ win over a Clemson team that’d compete in the NCAA Elite 8 just weeks later.

“At the collegiate level especially, I feel that’s when everything slowed down for me,” Hand said. “That was really the highlight of the season for me.”

Those contests gave Hand confidence for this season. In the back of his head, he told himself he had ended on a good note. But Hand wanted more. Thus far, he’s surpassed his 2023-24 totals in points, rebounds and assists, and he only needs one more 3 to tie last year’s total (25).

But even with this increased individual success, Hand isn’t satisfied. From developing in the lab, to playing with Team Loaded, Landstown and BC, the guard has always strived to win. He’s now looking to bring an ACC Championship to Chestnut Hill for the first time.

“I want to help build BC back to where it was,” Hand said. “That is very important to me, helping Coach Grant get BC back to where it was at.”

Published on January 10, 2025 at 6:08 pm

Contact Quinn: qdpostma@syr.edu